Draft-equalizer



(No Model.)

B. E. HOBBS. DRAFT EQUALIZER.

No. 581,586. Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

lhviTn STATES PATENT Trice.

EUGENE ELI HOBBS, OF KELLY, KANSAS.

DRAFT- EQUALIZER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 581,586, dated April27', 1897.

Application filed February 27, 1897. Serial No. 625,355. (No model.)

To (all who/1t it ntm concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE ELI HOBBS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kelly, in the county of Nemaha and State of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful Draft-Equalizer, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to improvements in draft-equalizers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofdraft-equalizers and to provide an efficient one which will beespecially adapted for sulky-cultivators and which will enable threehorses to be readily employed and completely eliminate the side draft.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a draft-equalizerconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a transversesectional view on line a: w of Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in both figuresof the drawings.

1 designates a transversely-disposed equalizing-bar, provided at one endwith a singletree 2, adapted to be connected with the third horse, whichis arranged at the right-hand side of the draft-beam 3 of a cultivator,the other two horses being arranged at opposite sides of the saiddraft-beam in their usual positions. The equalizing-bar 1,which isfulcru med at one end on the left-hand side of the draft-beam to adiagonally-disposed bar 4, extends across the draft-beam, its portionlying to the right of the draft-beam being substantially twice thelength of that portion on the left of the same.

The diagonally-disposed bar 4, which supports the equalizingbar, extendsacross the draft-beam and is clipped at its rear end to the arch of theaxle or to any other convenient portion of the frame of the cultivator.

The left-hand portion of the equalizing-bar is connected by anangularly-disposed bar 5 with a spring-actuated slide 6,whieh is mountedon the draft-beam in suitable ways 7, the rear end of the connecting-bar5 being secured by a pivot 8 to the equalizing-bar and its front endbeing similarly attached to the said slide. The ways 7 consist ofopposite L- shaped flanges of a plate 9, which is secured to the upperface of the draft-beam, and the rod 10, which is disposed longitudinallyof the draft-beam, is secured to the front end of the slide and extendsforward therefrom, its front end being supported by a guide 11. Theguide 1l,which consists of an L-shaped plate, is provided in itsupwardly-extendingportion with a perforation for the rod 10, and thesaid upwardly extending portion also forms a bearing for a spring 12,which is disposed on the rod 10 and engages a stop 13 thereof. Thetendency of the spring is to force the slide backward, and it operateson the draft-equalizing bar 1 to counteract the side draft and preservethe draft-beam in its proper position; and its tension may be regulatedby moving the guide 11 backward or forward on the draft-beam. The pivot8 also serves to connect a lever let to the equalizing-bar, and thislever is fulcrumed between its ends on the lower face of the draft-beam.The lefthand end of the lever 11 is bent upward to bring its left-handportion in proper position for connecting it to the equalizing-bar, andthe other end of the lever 11 is connected with a spring 15 ,which isconnected with the draftbeam at a point adjacent to the spring-actuatedslide.

The spring 15, which islocated at the righthand side of the draft-beam,is secured to rods 16 and 17, extending forward and rearward from it tothe draft-beam and to the lever 1+1. The effect of the spring 15 is toi11- crease the action of the spring-actuated slide and serve tomaintain the draft beam in proper position.

The bar 5, which diverges rearwardly from the draft-beam, is connectedbetween its ends by a link-bar 18 with a transverse lever or tree 19,which is pivoted between its ends at the left-hand side of thedraft-beam to the rear end of the. link-bar 18. The terminals of thetransverse lever 19 are connected by links 20 with draft-levers 21 and22, which are fulcrumed on depending arms 23 and 24: of a stationarydoubletree 25. The stationary doubletree 25, which is bolted to thelower face of the draft-beam, extends from opposite sides thereof andhas its end portions bent downward to form the arms 23 and 24, which areconnected by chains 26 to the frame of the cultivator. The arm 23 is,disposed vertically, and the other arm 24. is inclined outward, beingdisposed at about an angle of forty-five degrees, to position properly asingletree 27, which is connected with the lower end of the dependinglever 22. The other depending lever 21 carries a singletree 28 at itslower end, and the positions of the singletrees 27 and 28 are such thatthe horses adjacent to the draft-beam assume natural positions relativeto the same, so that there is no strain on the neck-yoke.

When it is desired to employ only two horses, the right-hand portion 29of the equalizing-bar is detached from the other portion of the same byremoving the bolts 30. The spring is then detached from the draftbeam,and the lever 14 is removed from the position illustrated in Fig.- 1 ofthe accompanying drawings and is temporarily secured to the front end ofthe diagonally-disposed bar 4 and to the draft-beam 3, the bent endbeing to the left.

WVhen it is designed to increase the tension of the spring 15, the frontend of the rod 16 is bolted or otherwise secured to theangularly-disposed bar 5 at the front end thereof.

. This increases the power of the equalizer to overcome the side draft,and this arrangement may be employed when it is desired to dispense withthe spring 12.

It will be seen that the draft-equalizer is simple in construction andpositive and reliable in operation; that it is especially adapted forsulky-cultivators, and that it completely eliminates side draft. It willalso be apparent that the equalizing-bar is so positioned that it willnot break down tall corn and that the tongue-horses are arranged intheir natural positions at each side of the draft-beam. It will also beapparent that the parts may be arranged so that two horses may beemployed and that the tension of the spring 12 may be readily regulated.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

What I claim is- 1. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with adraft-beam, of a transversely-disposed equalizing-bar fulcrumed at oneside of the draft-beam, extending across the same to the other sidethereof and carrying a singletree, the bar 5 diverging rearwardly fromthe draftbeam and pivoted at its rear end to the equalizing-bar near thefulcrum thereof, a spring connected with the front end of the bar 5, adoubletree mounted on the draft-beam, depending levers fulcrumed on thedoubletree and carrying singletrees attheir lower terminals, and atransverse lever 19 connected between its ends with the bar 5 and at itsterminals' to the upper ends of the depending levers, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a draft-beam, of anequalizing-bar fulcrumed at one end at one side. of the draftbeam,extending across the same to the other side thereof and carrying asingletree, the rearwardly-diverging bar 5 pivoted at its rear end tothe equalizing-bar near the fulcrum thereof, a slide mounted on thedraft-beam in suitable ways and connected with the front end of the bar5, a rod extending forward from the slide, a guide mounted on thedraft-beam and supporting the rod, and a spring disposed on the rod,bearing against the guide and adapted to force the slide rearward,substantially as described.

3. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a draft-beam, of anequalizing-bar fulcrumed at one side of the draft-beam and extendingacross the same to the other side thereof, the bar 5 divergingrearwardly from the draft-beam and pivoted to the equalizingbar, a slidemounted on the draft-beam and connected with the bar 5, a spring foractuating the slide, the lever 14 fulcrumed between its ends on thedraft-beam, connected at its left-hand end with the equalizing-bar andextending from the right-hand side of the draftbeam, and a springlocated in advance of the lever 14 and connected with the right-hand endof the same and with the draft-beam, substantially as described.

4.. In a draft-equalizer, the combination with a draft-beam, of atransverse equalizingbar extendingon both sides of the draft-beam, thebar 5 located at the left-hand side of the draft-beam and divergingrearward-1y therefrom and pivoted to the equalizing-bar, a springconnected with the front end of the bar 5 and adapted to force the samerearward, a doubletree mounted on the draft-beam, extending from bothsides thereof and provided at its ends with depending arms, therighthand arm being disposed at an inclination, depending leversfulcrurned between their ends on the arms, chains for connecting thearms with the frame of a cultivator, a link-bar 18 extending rearwardfrom the bar 5 at the lefthand side of the draft-beam, and thetransverse lever 19 pivoted to the rear end of the link-bar 18 andconnected at its ends to the upper terminals of the dependin g levers,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I' have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE ELI HOBBS.

Witnesses:

J. O. OoRDILL, C. W. RIDGWAY.

